Himalayas

Himalayas and Spitti Valley journey

Ladakh is the northernmost and highest region of India and its barren mountainous landscapes are breathtaking. Our 3 week journey takes us from the foothills of the Himalayas up to Leh, a city perched on the roof of the world. We will experience many aspects of Buddhist and mountain culture as we travel through the rarely visited Spitti Valley and traverse one of the highest and most rugged roads in the world.
After a day in sweltering Delhi we take a short train journey to the Punjabi town of Kalka where we transfer to the toy train, which winds up to the historic hill station of Shimla. The toy train is one of the iconic narrow gauge railways of the world and has Unesco World Heritage status. It travels up from the plains through the fertile valleys and foothills of Himachel Pradesh passing through multiple tunnels and viaducts offering breathtaking and intimate views. We will be based in Shimla for 2 nights giving time to explore the extraordinary colonial edifices and maze of bazaars clinging to the ridge upon which the historic town is built. From Shimla we set off up the rarely travelled and spectacular Satluj Valley to the remote town of Sarahan where we spend a night in a temple guesthouse. From here we climb further up the valley past mighty hydro projects and then up through apple and pear orchards to the town of Kalpa. From here we travel into the Spitti Valley spending several days visiting the monasteries of Tabo, Dankar and Komic after which we traverse Kunzum La pass to join the Manali to Leh road. We spend a night at Jispa where we sleep alongside the roaring Bhaga River. From here we travel up through Baracha La pass at 4880m and then descend to the barren plains of Sarchu where we spend a night under canvas at 4500m. Next day we ascend to the Moray plains, a high altitude desert, which is home to the nomadic Khampa people who were the earliest inhabitants of the Tibetan Plateau. We spend another night at the seasonal camp at spectacular Tso Kar Lake and in the morning we take Tanglang La Pass at 5400 Metres above sea level from which we descend to the city of Leh. The roads on this section are truly spectacular and we will spend a full day in Leh where we have our farewell dinner before our flight back to Delhi.
This ride requires a reasonable level of fitness and endurance and is only suitable for experienced riders. To participate in this tour you MUST have a good level of riding skill.
This tour is conducted by Kamal who is accompanied by our mechanic and a back up driver..